Millie Denvers: Suspected Chickenpox Led Six-Year-Old Into Life-Threatening Coma Sudden. Hyn
Millie Denvers was an energetic, happy six-year-old who loved school, playing with her sisters, and filling her home with noise and laughter. In mid-December 2020, nothing about her life suggested danger. When a few children in her class came down with chickenpox, it barely raised concern. Then Millie developed a few spots of her own — and everything changed.
Her mother, Elizabeth, first noticed the marks on Saturday, December 12. Millie looked pale and tired, then began vomiting and burning up with a dangerously high fever of nearly 40 degrees. At first, it seemed consistent with chickenpox. Children get sick. Fevers come and go. Parents worry, but they manage.
Within days, that sense of normalcy vanished.
Millie became increasingly sleepy and stopped eating. She cried in pain and could barely be comforted. Elizabeth noticed something that didn’t feel right: the spots weren’t blistering like chickenpox should. A mother’s instinct kicked in. On Tuesday morning, she called the GP.
What followed was every parent’s nightmare.
Doctors immediately told her to call an ambulance. When a paramedic rang back, Elizabeth was advised not to wait — the delay would be too long. She rushed Millie to the hospital herself. By midday, Millie was admitted. By 9 p.m. that night, she was being transferred to another hospital and placed into an induced coma.
Elizabeth remembers the moment with painful clarity.
Before the coma, Millie’s father, Glen, asked the nurse a question no parent should ever have to voice: Could she die?
The nurse couldn’t give reassurance.
Doctors soon discovered the truth behind Millie’s sudden collapse. It wasn’t chickenpox at all. It was PIMS-TS — a rare but severe inflammatory condition triggered by COVID-19, which Millie had carried weeks earlier without a single symptom. Only a small percentage of children develop it, but when it strikes, it attacks fast and brutally.
Millie’s organs were failing.
Blood tests revealed her kidneys and liver were struggling. Her bone marrow was under attack. Her body was inflamed from the inside out. Doctors explained that the coma was necessary to give her organs a chance to rest and recover.
Elizabeth was terrified. Her own mother, a nurse, broke down in tears when she heard what was happening — and that’s when Elizabeth truly understood how serious it was. Because of COVID restrictions, she couldn’t ride in the ambulance. Watching her daughter leave, surrounded by tubes and wires, felt unbearable.
For two days, Millie lay in a coma.
Elizabeth stayed by her side as much as she was allowed, barely sleeping, barely breathing, afraid that every moment could be the last. Glen remained at home caring for Millie’s sisters, Elsie and Felicity, trying to keep life steady for them while fearing the unthinkable.
Slowly — painfully slowly — Millie began to improve.
After eight days in Southampton, she was moved from intensive care to a high-dependency unit, then to a general ward. On December 22, she was transferred back to her local hospital. One day later, just before Christmas, Millie came home.
For Elizabeth, the sound of her daughters laughing together on Christmas Eve was overwhelming.
“It was a heartbreaking relief,” she said. “Hearing her laugh again — it felt like life had been given back to us.”
Millie recovered quickly with physiotherapy, regaining her strength step by step. The child who had been fighting for her life only days earlier was suddenly back among her sisters, reclaiming the childhood that had almost been taken away.
Elizabeth now shares her daughter’s story with one purpose: awareness.
Millie had no symptoms of COVID. None. Yet the virus still nearly cost her life. PIMS-TS is rare, but it is real, and it can be devastating. Elizabeth wants other parents to trust their instincts, to push for answers when something doesn’t feel right, and to know that children are not immune to the serious consequences of this virus.
Millie’s story is one of terror, resilience, and unimaginable relief. It is a reminder of how fragile life can be — and how quickly it can turn. But it is also a story of hope.
A little girl came home for Christmas.
A family was given their child back.
And a mother’s instinct made all the difference.
A Little Fighter Named Adaś — Courage in the Face of the Unimaginable.1260
Just a few months ago, nearly seven-year-old Adaś was the picture of joy — a lively, curious boy with a smile that could light up any room. His days were filled with laughter, play, and boundless energy. But on August 9th, that laughter was replaced by pain — a sharp ache behind his ear that would soon change everything.
At first, it seemed simple enough — an ear infection, his parents were told. But the pain didn’t fade. Instead, it grew stronger. Adaś began vomiting, complaining of headaches, and showing signs that something far more serious was wrong. His parents watched helplessly as their once-energetic son became weak and withdrawn.
On August 28th, their worst fears came true. A CT scan revealed a 5-centimeter tumor in Adaś’s cerebellum — a mass so large it was pressing against the part of his brain responsible for balance and coordination. Doctors moved quickly. There was no time to wait, no room for hesitation. Surgery was his only chance.
The operation lasted eight long hours — each minute stretching into eternity for his family. They prayed, clung to hope, and whispered his name through tears. When the surgeon finally emerged, the words felt unreal: Adaś had made it through.
Against all odds, he woke up the very next day. Not only awake — but speaking clearly, smiling, and even trying to walk. It was nothing short of a miracle. His parents’ hearts swelled with gratitude. For a moment, it seemed the storm had passed.
But then, new challenges appeared. Cerebrospinal fluid began building up around his wound, a dangerous complication that required additional procedures and another operation. Each time he seemed to heal, another obstacle appeared — yet each time, Adaś faced it with quiet strength.
Then came the day every parent dreads: September 9th. The biopsy results arrived. The tumor was malignant — most likely a medulloblastoma or high-grade infantile glioma, both aggressive and difficult-to-treat brain cancers.
The news shattered them.
Still, Adaś didn’t give up. His bright eyes, once filled with pain, now reflected determination. “I’m going to get better,” he whispered to his mother, clutching her hand. And from that moment, his fight took on a new meaning — not just for survival, but for the chance to live the childhood he deserves.
The road ahead is long and uncertain. Adaś now faces rounds of chemotherapy and radiation, each treatment bringing hope and hardship in equal measure. There will be months — perhaps years — of rehabilitation to help him regain his strength, relearn what illness tried to take away, and reclaim the joy of simply being a child.
For his family, the emotional toll is immense — but so too is the financial burden. The mounting costs of hospital stays, medications, travel, and specialized care have left them struggling to keep up. Yet through every sleepless night, they remain united by love and faith.
“Every penny, every prayer, every share means the world to us,” his parents say softly. “We never imagined needing help like this, but now we know — we can’t do it alone.”
And they aren’t alone. Friends, neighbors, and strangers have begun rallying behind Adaś’s fight — sending donations, messages of support, and stories of their own battles won. Each act of kindness is a lifeline, a reminder that compassion can carry a family through even the darkest moments.
Because while medicine can heal the body, it’s love, faith, and community that heal the heart.
Adaś’s story is one of courage beyond his years — a reminder that even the smallest among us can teach the world what it means to be strong. He dreams of running again, going back to school, and feeling the sun on his face without the shadow of pain. And with our help, that dream can come true.
Together, we can stand beside him — one donation, one prayer, one share at a time — and help give Adaś the chance to live the childhood he still dreams of.
Because sometimes, the bravest warriors are the ones still learning how to spell their names.
